Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit back at Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, saying, “We won’t need an aircraft but please ensure us the freedom to travel and meet the people”, a day after the latter invited him to visit the state.
“Dear Governor Malik, A delegation of opposition leaders & I will take you up on your gracious invitation to visit J&K and Ladakh. We won’t need an aircraft but please ensure us the freedom to travel & meet the people, mainstream leaders and our soldiers stationed over there,” Gandhi said in a tweet.
On Monday, Governor Malik lashed out at Gandhi for his remarks that there have been reports of violence in Kashmir, saying he will send him an aircraft to visit the valley and observe the ground situation.
The Governor said Gandhi should be ashamed about the behaviour of one of his leaders who was talking like an "idiot" in Parliament.
"I have invited Rahul Gandhi to come here. I will send you a plane, to observe (the situation) and then speak up. You are a responsible person and you should not speak like this," Malik said.
On Saturday night, Gandhi said some reports had come in from Jammu and Kashmir about the violence there and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must assuage concerns over the matter in a transparent manner.
The Centre last week scrapped Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and moved the J&K Reorganisation Bill, splitting the state into union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature and Ladakh without one.
The state has been in lockdown ever since, but the police and administration have maintained that there is calm in the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
